By the time the Republican National Convention opened in Chicago on 14 June 1932, the U.S. economy was near collapse. Almost one in four Americans was out of work, and many who still had jobs were suffering the hardships created by reduced hours and lower pay. Because of President Herbert Hoover's unpopularity, brief efforts were made to draft an alternative Republican candidate. Progressive senators Hiram Johnson of California and William E. Borah of Idaho were mentioned, but both declined to be considered. There was also a short-lived effort to place Calvin Coolidge's name into nomination, but the former president refused to begin an insurgent movement within his own party. Only Joseph France, a conservative former senator from Maryland, challenged Hoover. Though France won a few inconsequential primaries, he was never a serious contender, and in the end Hoover won renomination easily. In a colorful moment at the Republican...